Sandwiched between the immensely popular Great Balsam Mountains and Great Smoky Mountains to the east and west, the Plott Balsam Mountains are frequently overlooked as a hiking destination in western North Carolina. However, this small range of 5,000-6,000 footers has a network of trails offering fantastic views without the droves of hikers seen in neighboring locations. The drive to the hike from the east is almost as impressive. The Blue Ridge Parkway climbs nearly 3,000 feet from Balsam Gap to the crest of the Plott Balsams offering a startling change of scenery from the valley to sheer cliffs and spruce forests. Make sure to stop at the Mt. Lyn Lowry View at Mile 445.2 for a great view of the 2nd tallest peak in the Plott Balsams and the high Woodfin Cascades which flows under the parkway onto private land. A stop at Yellow Face View at Mile 450.2 will give you a preview of the first leg of the hike.

Most of the traffic, which is relatively minor, visits this area to experience grand views from the Waterrock Knob Visitors Center and hike the short summit trail to Waterrock Knob, the highest peak in the range. Instead you’ll embark on a journey along the western crest of the Plott Balsams to the outstanding summit of Blackrock Mountain. This lofty perch offers incredible views of the Plott Balsams, Great Balsams, Cowee Mountains, and the Great Smokies. You’ll have a choice to make on Blackrock, turn around for a moderate 4.8-mile day or descend steeply into Pinnacle Park. The highlight of Pinnacle Park is The Pinnacle, the tip of a ridge extending from Pinnacle Bald with arguably better views than Blackrock Mountain. The only catch is the 11.3-mile journey features an agonizingly steep return climb to the top of Blackrock. Luckily most will be satisfied with the view from Blackrock Mountain, but strong hikers can tackle the full trail described here.

Mile 0.0 – On the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile 451.2 is a T-intersection with Waterrock Knob Road. The parkway makes a wide curve at this junction splitting around a grassy median. The trail head for the Blackrock Trail (purple and yellow blazes) is opposite Waterrock Knob Road and is marked by a small, wooden hikers signpost. Park anywhere along the shoulder and begin hiking southwest.

Once you enter the forest there is an old information board with mileage postings to various landmarks. Although not an official trail managed by the Blue Ridge Parkway or Nantahala National Forest, this trail is maintained by volunteers in the area and is in good shape. Infrequent blazes are purple and yellow after the colors of Western Carolina University but the trail is easy to follow.

Mile 1.8 – The trail follows a very narrow ridgeline for the next half-mile, sometimes less than 10 feet wide. You will pass enormous boulders, pockets of spruce-fir forests, and have occasional views of Blackrock Mountain. As you near the summit you will face a steep climb up roots and rocks requiring hands and feet. Ignore any possible side path on the right and go straight up.

After enjoying the views from Blackrock Mountain you have a crucial decision to make. Either turn around and head back to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a 4.8-mile hike, or begin a brutal descent down the south side of the mountain in order to do the full 11.3-mile hike. If you thought the initial 2.4 miles to Blackrock Mountain was moderate-to-strenuous it is advisable to skip the full hike and turn around here. The trail descends over 800 feet in less than 0.6 miles with no rocks or switchbacks to alleviate the descent. This is tough on the knees, but much tougher when you have to climb it on the return hike.

Mile 3.0 – Steep descent ends at T-junction with a forest road grade in Pinnacle Park. Pinnacle Park is a small public park previously used as Sylva’s watershed, protecting Fisher Creek. Although the trails aren’t blazed, every intersection is well-marked with mileage and directions to notable features. The trails follow very gentle forest roads with few rocks.

Mile 5.6 - After the campsite a brief climb leads to the end of the forest road along a narrow trail through thick shrubs before seemingly ending at a sandy flat. At the far end of the flat look for a narrow trail through the shrubs on the left side.

We did the 4.9 mile route to the summit of Blackrock instead of the longer route including Pinnacle - we actually hiked up to Pinnacle from Pinnacle Park in Sylva, NC a couple days earlier, so we didn't feel the need to visit that summit again.

The things we liked about this hike: the beautiful, rugged forest and the nice views!

The things we did not like about this hike: 1) the trailhead is a little hard to find (the hiker sign at the trailhead mentioned in this post is no longer there) - you will have to search the perimeter of the woods at the GPS coordinates to find entry to the trail. 2) Trail maintenance is not done regularly along this route - there were MANY blowdowns, relatively few blazes, tons of hip-deep and taller overgrowth - mostly grasses and bramble bushes, and a lot of erosion (nobody is building waterbars or other features to prevent trail washout)

We also feel that the "3" rating underestimates the challenge of this hike. The climbing is not terribly strenuous cardio-wise, but the terrain and trail maintenance issues definitely should up the challenge factor of this route. We're regular and well-prepared hikers, so we did fine, but I would never recommend this route to a casual hiker. There were lots of places that required three point contact with the trail, there were lots of extremely slippery soft spots with steep ravines on the downhill side, and there was a rock face to climb at the end (which is mentioned, but is probably more treacherous than it sounds in the post)

All in all, this hike offers quite a bit of solitude and gorgeous rugged views, but I think there are other more straightforward hikes that offer similar views. I don't think we'd choose to hike this again.

I'd also recommend reading this trail description: http://internetbrothers.org/2015/10/28/waterrock-knob-across-the-plott-balsams-range-blue-ridge-parkway/. I think it's a more descriptive assessment of the challenges an average hiker would face on this route.